What is the Impending My Bloody Valentine Album Going to Sound Like?

What is the Impending My Bloody Valentine Album Going to Sound Like?

Getting deep into My Bloody Valentine is a rite of passage for any aspiring indie rocker in his or her high school/college years, inasmuch as one really hasn’t gained entrance into the cool kids club without listening to “Only Shallow” in the fetal position, high as hell. Ever since the band went on its original hiatus some 20 years ago, and even since they reunited a few years back to play some reunion shows, the promise of a new album has always been on the tip of everyone’s tongue, as band leader Kevin Shields has supposedly been working on the follow-up to Loveless longer than Dr. Dre’s been working on Detox. (And everyone thinks that’s taking a long time.)

But in an interview with MBV bassist Debbie Googe, Drowned in Sound dragged out some details of when the new album is supposed to come out and what it might sound like. First, on the release date:

It will definitely come out as it’s pretty much finished. I mean, it’s impossible to talk about time with Kevin, but in terms of percentage wise, he’s got one more track he wants to do then that’s it. Everything else is recorded.

Exciting! But what about that sound, Debbie?

I really couldn’t at all. I’ve heard more of the new Primal Scream record [Googe is currently touring as their bassist] than I have the new My Bloody Valentine one!

Pressed for details, she gave up a little more:

No, most of it is stuff Kevin has done, certainly guitar wise. It’s been a long process you know. The drums have been added then taken off at least once. His brother did them at one point, then Colm (O’Ciosoig) came in and redid them. There’s some things Kevin can’t do like the drums of Bilinda’s (Butcher) vocals but everything else he can, and I’m certainly happy for him to do that.

What’s exciting, then, is that the new album could sound like anything:

a stray cat controlling a nail gun

a snow globe put in a blender

a DVD player left running with the disc tray still open

a thousand angels flying into an running jet turbine

lava being poured down a bathtub drain

all of your extended family yelling at you through a broken phone

turning on seventeen guitars while sitting in a full bathtub

All of these are sonic tones you might find in a typical MBV song. But there’s stuff on the way, and mysterious stuff it will be. Get ready to fire up the bong.